Chapter 75: Chapter 75: The Monster That One-Shot Us... Was One-Shot By Someone Else? (Bonus Chapter)

The group was stunned. The sudden gruesome scene was an immense shock to them.

Yet, the impaled man wasn’t dead yet. He was still struggling desperately.

"Brother Wen... save me..."

One of the girls steadied herself and immediately moved to cut through the towering vine.

But before she could take more than a few steps, another vine shot out, piercing her abdomen and lifting her into the air.

Red and yellow fluids rained down like scattered droplets. She didn’t even have time to scream.

Now, panic truly set in. Everyone frantically scanned their surroundings, terrified of being the next target.

Fortunately, the leaders of the group had stronger nerves. They quickly issued commands to their treefolk.

However... the treefolk’s eyes were now glowing crimson. As if sensing something, they ignored all orders and charged recklessly toward the heart of Treewood Town.

Their commands were utterly useless.

"What... what the hell is happening?"

Confusion, shock, and fear spread through the group. Some of the more cowardly members immediately turned to flee.

They had no idea what was going on!

But it wasn’t over yet. A crimson energy ring surged from the distance, sweeping over them once more.

They had intended to mount their steeds and chase after the disturbance, but their rides suddenly went berserk, thrashing wildly.

The next moment, the beasts mutated. Spikes erupted from their bodies, their limbs and horns igniting with crimson flames.

As if answering some primal call, these once-tame creatures threw their riders to the ground and stampeded toward the town’s center.

Those too slow to react were impaled by the newly grown bone spikes, their bodies set ablaze by hellfire.

"Aaaah! My ass—my ass is on fire!!"

The survivors were now not only completely baffled but also thrown into utter chaos.

The tremors hadn’t stopped, and the deadly vines could strike from anywhere at any moment.

Now that they were fighting for their own survival, no one had thoughts of chasing Bai Cheng anymore.

The burning survivor turned to ashes within moments, sending a fresh wave of terror through the group.

All of this was witnessed by Zi Yuan, who stood atop a tree branch not far away.

"That’s Chi Yan’s power just now... Has the town riot began?"

Just as she finished speaking, Zi Yuan suddenly sensed an unfamiliar Elite Rank magical beast’s aura in the distance.

Frowning, she leaped off the branch and dashed toward the town center.

Below, the survivors were now fleeing in panic. But without a pass, they couldn’t leave the station.

Blindly running would only lead to their deaths.

Li Haiwen watched as their steeds, treefolk, and even Zi Yuan all headed deeper into town. Then, he finally reacted.

"It has to be Bai Cheng’s doing! The only way out is to find her!"

His words snapped the others out of their daze. The survivors immediately rushed toward the town center, leaving behind two of their own still hanging from the vines, weakly reaching out:

"Brother Wen... save us..."

Meanwhile, at the town center, a battle was about to erupt.

However, calling it a ’battle’ was an overstatement. The giant tree monster was completely outmatched by Chi Yan.

Now at the peak of Elite Rank, Chi Yan was far beyond what ordinary Elite ranks could handle.

But even an Elite Rank 1 tree monster was a nightmare for most survivors.

It was meant to drive them into fleeing!

The monster lashed out with dozens of vines, but before they could even touch Chi Yan, they melted from the scorching heat radiating off him.

Yet, he didn’t attack. Instead, he stayed low, continuously unleashing hellfire to burn the surrounding treefolk.

They were completely surrounded. With the treefolk charging in mindlessly, Chi Yan had to prioritize protecting Bai Cheng.

The area had turned into a sea of fire, with only a small safe zone remaining at the center.

Bai Cheng climbed onto Chi Yan’s back. This way, he could finally fight without restraint.

The flames intensified, forming swirling vortexes that shot out like cannons in all directions.

Chi Yan leaped high into the air, his flaming claws slamming down onto the giant tree monster.

BOOM—!

The impact shattered branches and sent sparks flying. Chi Yan landed gracefully outside the encirclement, but his voice was rough with confusion.

"Young Lady, that thing is weak... but something is off."

However, he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

The tree monster’s limbs shattered under the force, slamming it into the ground. The hellfire clinging to its back began spreading rapidly.

At this rate, it would soon be reduced to ashes.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The tree monster started absorbing the black liquid pooling on the ground. Although the hellfire was still burning, its spread was halted.

At the same time, several towering ancient trees nearby were wrapped in vines, then rapidly withered.

Bai Cheng’s eyes widened.

It’s draining the entire town’s energy!

She turned around just in time to see Zi Yuan arriving.

With a single glance, Zi Yuan grasped the situation.

She unsheathed her blade, unleashing a flurry of slashes that cleanly bisected the surrounding ancient trees.

Of course, the roots and vines extending from the ground were also cut by her.

Then, the beasts enhanced by Chi Yan’s hellfire arrived.

Without hesitation, they charged into the treefolk horde and—

BOOM!

Bai Cheng blinked.

They blew themselves up?!

Since when could Chi Yan do that?!

The explosion sent charred flesh and organs flying, each piece coated in hellfire. The flames spread rapidly, crackling as they consumed the treefolk and soon engulfed the town.

The survivors arrived just in time to be blocked by the inferno.

"Brother Wen, that’s the thing that attacked us!"

"And that lion—wait, the person riding it... Bai Cheng?!"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone turned around and froze in place.

Only now did they realize the gravity of the situation...

Because once the tree monster’s regeneration was interrupted, Chi Yan seized the chance.

Pillars of fire erupted from the sea of flames, converging in midair to form a gigantic flaming lion that pounced downward!

BOOM—!

A terrifying crimson inferno erupted skyward, shaking the ground from the sheer force.

The heatwave surged outward, and when the flames dispersed, only ashes remained.

The monster that one-shot us... was one-shot by someone else?!

Their pupils contracted in disbelief.

Then, the massive lion slowly turned its head.

Seated on its back, Bai Cheng smirked.

A bone-chilling dread shot up the survivors’ spines. Their hair stood on end, cold sweat drenching them.

"Brother Wen... should we... should we run?!"

But as they turned to flee—

They saw Zi Yuan perched high on a tree trunk, her arms crossed and her expression calm.